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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Spinning around the Eiffel Tower...

Do you remember the merry-go-round I already mentioned about a month ago for being one of the rare - if not the only - eco-friendly on the planet? Well I passed by it yesterday evening again and this time it was dark. So I took this photo. It's a bit cliché of course, but, well it's also nice to look at. "Pourquoi bouder son plaisir ?" as we say in French ("why frown on pleasure?").

I love that saying!! And this photo is a pleasure not to be frowned at. I haven't been able to post for a couple of days. I always check in each day, even when I don't say thanks - which feels like taking without giving - so I want to say that they have buoyed me up each day in this crazy busy season and they have all been just stellar! Merci, merci!!

Seeing these two next to one another got me thinking that it's about time that the ET became a bit more eco friendly.How about giant counterbalanced weights suspended from the top of the ET on a wire which would plunge down and fly up the centre of the tower, attached to a turbine which could generate enough electricity to light up the tower? Actually, they've already got something like that, it's called an elevator.Even better, attach a huge wind turbine to the top the tower. Now that would be something, spinning round up there all lit up. It would certainly upstage the Moulin Rouge. Might be a touch draughty down the Champs de Mars though.

Michael, thanks for the link on the green ET. It made me think. It makes me sad. It seems a very ungreen self-promo job. Also its disingenuous to calc only the co2 the plants give off or take in & then say it will be co2 neg and not calc the big co2 cost of installing and removing them. And, the - wow - E72 million - surely could go to a more utilitarian green project that would still trumpet the city's commitment, imo. Sorry for the rant - don't the city planners read PDP?! ; ) At the same time, I have to say it does look extremely beautiful, and I'd totally love to see it! And, since it looks like its paid for, we may get the chance! Anyway - merci!

Eric, I am 55 years old and I still ride a carousel every chance I get. I have ridden this one by the Eiffel Tower and there was one by Hotel de Ville (by a huge wall painted with a protest against the war in Iran). The last one I rode was in Spokane, Washington, this past summer -- and I rode it three times:) Superb photo, as usual; thanks for the memories!

Thanks for the link Michael. I agree with Carrie that it doesn't appear stand up as en eco project in its own right, but as a symbol of environmental awareness it could work and having experienced the 'naked' version of the old lady, so to speak, it could be interesting to compare the 'fully clothed' one. :-)

@Michael. No, no update as far as I can see. The Paris town hall denied being involved in this project though. I suppose they don't want to appear like their throwing money out of the window in these times of economic crisis...